September 19, 2006

'Kidnapped': A top-notch thriller with a killer cast

Several new dramas, including the apocalyptic "Jericho" and the hostage drama "The Nine," attempt to mine entertainment from terrifying scenarios, but none does it with more style and panache than "Kidnapped" (9 p.m. Wednesday, WMAQ-Ch. 5).

Thanks to a top-notch cast and unusually intelligent writing, “Kidnapped” is among the more promising of many new shows that pay homage to the granddaddy of the current suspense boom, “24.”

There are few things that frighten a parent more than the thought of a child’s disappearance, but “Kidnapped” effectively distances us from this terrifying concept by its setting: a moneyed realm recalling the pages of luxury magazine The Robb Report, not most people’s everyday reality.

Conrad Cain, played with melancholy subtlety by the perfectly cast Timothy Hutton, is a Manhattan master of the universe, a multimillionaire who can afford a palatial apartment as well as a bodyguard for his son, Leopold. That cocoon of privilege proves insufficient, however, when Leopold is snatched on his way to school, in a scene that recalls Jack Bauer’s adventures in its suspenseful execution. Still, Cain and his wife, Ellie (Dana Delany), can afford to bring in the best to track down their 15-year-old boy.

Enter the enigmatic Knapp (Jeremy Sisto), who recommends not alerting the authorities to Leopold’s disappearance. Nevertheless, Latimer King (Delroy Lindo), an experienced FBI agent who’s about to retire, soon figures out what’s going on and steps in to help the stunned family.

What drives “Kidnapped” is not just the search for Cain’s son, but the conflicting agendas of Knapp, King’s team and the Cains, as well as the unknown motives of Leopold’s captors (the viewer gets hints that they may want more than just money).

To ensure the safe return of the boy - which is his only goal - Knapp has to dig up the Cain family’s most private secrets, and there appears to be a fair amount of dirty laundry the Cains would rather wasn’t known. As for the FBI agents , they would like to bring the boy back - possibly even alive - but apprehending the bad guys is equally important to the feds. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Knapp and King used to work together.

Early on, it’s clear Leopold is not content to let the chips fall where they may, which adds yet another wild card to the mix, as does a mysterious Knapp adversary glimpsed in the second episode. He turns out to know more than he should about the Cains’ crisis.

There are many big stars headlining shows this fall, but “Kidnapped’s” cast is exceptional. Delany is alternately furious and despondent as Ellie, and she and Hutton can do more without words than other actors can do with pages of dialogue. They’re absolutely convincing as rich, complicated Manhattanites and as parents who come face to face with the scary reality that they can’t always protect their kids.

Lindo, as always, is effortlessly charismatic as the canny King, and Sisto’s brusque, anguished vibe perfectly suits this enjoyably tense chronicle of anxiety and suspense.

A story line in the second episode about the Cains’ daughter wobbles a bit and threatens to veer into melodrama. But the “Kidnapped” writers display admirable intelligence and, thankfully, they don’t foist truckloads of expository dialogue on the cast (one of the risks of any densely plotted show).

And in a season in which the networks have spent lavishly on set design and cinematography, “Kidnapped” still stands out; its New York locations look real and the Cains’ apartment is suitably regal.

I wish this promising drama wasn’t going up against another fine new serialized thriller, “The Nine,” which premieres next week, as well as the powerhouse procedural “CSI: NY.” “Kidnapped” is so intriguing that it would be a shame for it to go missing.

Comments

I've read a number of reviews or pre-reviews of Kidnapped and not a single one even MENTIONS "Ransom" in them. I find this shocking for many reasons. 1) Delroy Lindo PLAYS THE SAME CHARACTER as on Ransom. He's the same exact guy. 2) They guy who is supposed to replace him after retirement even ASKS Lindo about the "Ransom" case (I can't recall Mel Gibson's name in the movie, but the new cop uses it). 3) The pilot plays out almost exactly like "Ransom," even to the point of Dana Delany beating up on Tim Hutton the way the wife (I can't recall her name) beat up on Mel Gibson when she blamed him for part of what happens. There are so many similarities between Ransom and Kidnapped, when I watched the pilot (via Netflix) I thought for sure it was going to get beaten up by critics as a re-tread. Don't get me wrong, I like the show a lot, and Sisto is a favorite of mine (and I like Lindo a lot too), but why is this very obvious point not mentioned by reviewers? Is the studio REQUESTING that you and your colleagues stay away from that for some reason? It doesn't exactly seem like a spoiler... more like another reason to watch the show. If you liked the movie, you'll like the tv show.

This show has the same structural plot flaw that "Vanished" has.
Just how long can you string along a kidnapping?
Even if you did it "24" style as an hour by hour show, we're going to get sick of the slow plot.
It'll be viewers screaming at the TV, find the kid already!
And what about next season, an all new kidnapping?
That series idea failed with "Murder One".
Plus it looks like "Vanished" won't return after the World Series, which will cause viewers to bail on this show. Maybe that's Fox's sneaky & dastardly idea, have their idiotic kidnapping show fail & that will cause people to not want to get involved watching NBC's almost identical show!

The official site has some behind-the-scenes clips up, in one of which Delany says that the show will have "one kidnapping per season". The only way I imagine that could work is to retain the investigators - probably both Knapp and King, if they're both alive at the end - in the following season, and which supports your reading of the conflict between the various investigators and the victims of the kidnappers being the main subject of the show.

I certainly enjoyed "Kidnapped" better than the other pilots I've seen so far. "Smith" has arguably a more distinguished cast, but makes poor use of their abilities.

I have not had an opportunity to watch this program, but if it has an R rating i will definately not watch it. There is enough smut on TV as it is, and may I say that if hollywood would delete the smut and sex scenes from their movies, many thousands more would enjoy going back to pre sixtys movies. Thanks for the opportunity to share one's comments. MR.J DISANTIS

Now for a serious comment.
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"Kidnapped" is a disaster!
I just watched it & nothing about it makes sense.
Explain this one to me: there is a huge shootout on an Upper East Side street in Manhattan, 4 or 5 people were killed on the street.
AND THERE AREN'T ANY NEWS STORIES ABOUT IT!!!
What the hell are the producers smoking?
This is Manhattan & the NY Post & Daily News would be bannering it for days!
Then there is an explosion in a Brooklyn apartment & again no press coverage!
I look at both NY tabloids every day, again I say, they would be smothering in their coverage of this!

Gotta say I was a bit disappointed by the premiere. I had been intrigued by the cast, the promos, and the positive critical buzz(yours included, Mo Ryan).

But what a snore.

Forget "Ransom" - it played like a bad ripoff of a horrible Denzel Washington-Tony Scott bomb called "Man on Fire".

Aside from the cliches ("Do you think she'll be OK?"...pause... "Someday." GAG! Haven't we heard that same exchange in, like, 10,000 films?), the musical beds that pumped... up.. every... scene... were absolutely brutal. The music distracted from the drama.

That said, I do tip my hat to the cast, who turned in admirable performances and can't be blamed for the poor choices made in post-production in terms of soundtrack and cutaways.

But if this thing is gonna survive, it needs to rise about the Michael Mann Lite pretenses evident in the pilot and let the characters, as opposed to the look, carry the story.

Wow... I saw the premier last night and it was very bland. There were no hooks... no intrigue. It was very predictable. I was hooked with "Vanished" from the start, contrary to your lackluster review of that series. However, I will give "Kidnapped" the benefit of the doubt and watch episode two. If I'm still left with a bland taste in my mouth, it's off my DVR recordings list and I'll gain a free hour on Wednesday evenings.

Yours is a savvy review for a sophisticated drama. Whatever is driving the excellence found this season on network television, may it continue. Kidnapped works for me on so many levels. Where does one begin, the series location? New York never looked more gritty more vibrant more alive; the well-written script, fresh, crisp, tight dialogue? Direction – a skilled visionary offering one complete package. Delivery, 100% - whose acting?

This series summoned memories of Stephen Cannell's Wiseguy of the 1980's. Ah, who but me remembers - the compelling story arcs, my introduction to the ultimate in nasty, brutal and flawed villains? Kidnapped elevates the genre to new heights, new depths.

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